The Moscow Exchange resumed trading in debt securities for investors from countries that haven't joined sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies, ending a nearly six-month freeze implemented after the invasion of Ukraine.
The resumption won't extend to clients from "unfriendly" countries, who remain subject to capital controls banning foreigners from selling or collecting payments on local securities. The group - which includes nations from European Union members to Canada and Japan - accounted for around 90% of total portfolio investments into Russia as of last year.
Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal invested more than $500 million in Russian firms in the days around Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, according to a stock exchange filing.
On the ground
Russian forces shelled Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, again overnight, local authorities said. Fighting continues in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. Ukraine's military claimed Russian heavy machinery can't use bridges across the Dnipro River to resupply troops in occupied Kherson due to shelling. The country's Southern Operational Command has been targeting Russian lines of communication as it presses a counteroffensive there, according to the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War. ISW also said Ukrainian forces reportedly struck a force concentration of Russian private military contractor Wagner in Popasna, causing casualties.
Russia's Promsvyazbank opens office in Kharkiv region
Russia's Promsvyazbank opened up an office in an occupied city in the Kharkiv region, Interfax reported, citing the lender's press service.
The sanctioned bank, which finances Russia's military-industrial complex, opened an office in Kupiansk that will offer services to consumers and businesses, Interfax said.
Promsvyazbank earlier announced that it would provide banking services to the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics, which are also occupied by Russian forces.
Russia Sees $16 Billion in Parallel Imports This Year
Russian efforts to keep up the flow of unauthorized imports are having only limited success as the country tries to cope with international sanctions that have caused an exodus of foreign companies and occasional shortages.
Gray market sales, also known as parallel imports, reached nearly $6.5 billion since the government allowed companies in May to bring in goods without gaining agreement from their manufacturers, Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said in an interview with the Interfax news service. They may total $16 billion this year, he said.
Shipments of foreign goods collapsed under the weight of sanctions from the US and its allies in response to President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
Russian gas transit payment made without hitch
Russia's payment to Ukraine for natural gas transit this month has gone through without problems, even after a glitch with a similar oil transaction, according to people familiar with the situation.
State-run Gazprom PJSC sent its regular monthly payment to Ukraine's NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy last week and it has been accepted, according to people on both sides, who asked not to be named as the information isn't public.
Traders were on edge about possible disruptions after shipments through one branch of the Druzhba oil pipeline were halted in early August because a financial transfer from Russia to Ukraine was snarled.
Latvian Justice Ministry mulls limits on Russian language
Latvia's Justice Ministry is drafting legislation that would limit the use of Russian in the private and public sector, Minister Janis Bordans told the Delfi website in an interview.
The proposals, which would still need approval by the government and parliament, would restrict the use of non-EU languages in bank communications and corporate phone messages to consumers, as well as in requirements for job applications.
Six more vessels expected to pick up grain in Ukraine
Two vessels were cleared to proceed to Chornomorsk on Sunday and another three will be inspected for travel to the port on Monday, according to the Joint Coordination Centre that oversees Ukraine's grain-export corridor.
Another vessel bound for Odesa will be inspected Monday, it said.
Moscow and Kyiv reached a deal last month to open a humanitarian corridor to ship grain from Ukrainian ports, leading to hopes that the exports would ease global food prices.
Poland developing plan to deny Russians EU visas
Poland is working on its own regulations to stop issuing EU visas for Russians, Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk said in interview with PAP newswire.
Warsaw is in favor of a pan-European ban of issuing visas to Russians that is supported by countries including the Czech Republic, Lithuania and Latvia, but such a rule faces objections from Germany, France and the Netherlands, according to Wawrzyk.
In recent months, Poland has practically stopped giving tourist visas, limiting such to workers such as truck drivers and family members of EU citizens.
Saudi billionaire made $500 million Russia bet
Prince Alwaleed's investment firm, Kingdom Holding Co., acquired depositary receipts issued by Gazprom, Lukoil PJSC and Rosneft PJSC in February, according to the filing. Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.
No specific dates for the investments were given, and the Saudi firm didn't respond to questions about whether it still owned them. The value of all those depositary receipts dropped rapidly after the war began, when trading in Moscow was halted and western sanctions were imposed on Russia.
Ukraine says WFP grain vessel departs for Ethiopia
The first grain freighter chartered by UN's World Food Program since the reopening of Ukraine's Black Sea ports departed from Pivdennyi on Sunday for Ethiopia, Odesa regional military governor Maksym Marchenko said on Telegram.
The Brave Commander arrived in port on Friday and was scheduled to load 23,000 tons of wheat for a part of Africa that's on the verge of famine.
"This is the first among many steps, but a very big one we need to make to tackle the global food crisis," Marchenko said on his Telegram-channel.
WASHINGTON POST